Sunny Day Life
by rajikka
Summary: Alfred might only be four years old, but he's still a superhero at heart! His new best friend, Lovino, is also a superhero...he just has a harder time admitting it. When they team up, there's nothing they can't do (except reach that stupid cookie jar)! Now if only their caretakers got along half as well as they did...
1. Chapter 1

**Sunny Day Life**

_Disclaimer: I don't own it, but probably for the better..._

_Warning: AU, strong language (in Chibimano's defense, Arthur has a mouth on him too), boy x boy pairings (but not for awhile), and adorableness overload. _

This is a gift fic for **pandahero2P**, who was the 100th reviewer for _Iris Zero_. You wanted "cute chibis," I'll give you "cute chibis." Thanks for inspiring this!

Friendly reminder that everyone is human in this. Alfred is four years old and Lovino is five years old. The age of their crazy-good-looking caretakers is up to your imagination.

* * *

**Go To Sleep?**

* * *

In the depths of a dark room, lit only by the flames of several candles, a hooded figure stood in the middle of a magic circle. Each symbol was intricately drawn with pure white chalk, surrounding the inset pentagram.

The flickering light of the candles shone brilliantly on the athame in the magician's right hand. He traced a pattern of magic symbols in a perfect circle, starting with the incense burning in the east to denote air. The blade twisted into another small, yet elaborate design above the red candle burning in the south, to represent fire. It danced over the chalice in the west for water and finally a dish of salt in the north, signifying earth.

Someone had made the mistake of crossing the wizard and now they would pay the ultimate price. Slowly and meticulously, Arthur began casting his ancient spell.

"Santra ba~dra winza~rana~ wonpa~to~rana intrakantera…"

He tossed a handful of mysteriously colored sand into the flames, creating an eerie bluish glow. His words of power continued…

"…Jack~Latoya Janet~Michael Dumble~dora the Explorer…"

"Daddy!" A tiny voice called out from the top of the stairs.

With a simple push on the basement door, the room was flooded with florescent lights spilling in from the kitchen. Arthur was interrupted right in the middle of his curse, but this was hardly the first time.

"Yes, Alfred?" he tried not to hiss at his son or the blinding light.

"I had a bad dream…" the small boy rubbed his eyes, slowly walking down the stairs in his Batman footie pajamas and blanky. "…I can't sleep…"

Arthur quickly shoved the hood of his cloak off his head and faced his son. Perhaps the real magic was how he went from being unspeakably evil and hate-filled, to warm and reassuring in less than 15 seconds.

"No worries, my boy," the older blonde smiled kindly. "I'll make some tea to soothe your nerves. Would you like extra milk in it?"

Alfred nodded sleepily and allowed his father to pick him up and carry him back to the kitchen. The boy wrapped his tiny arms around Arthur's neck and snuggled closer to him.

"Will you read me a story?"

"Alright, tea, one story, and then back to bed with you young man, you need rest!" he sighed.

"Will you read the one about the Super Panda Hero Squad?"

"Sure, sure…"

* * *

**Wake up!**

* * *

If there was one thing Lovino liked to do, it was coloring on the walls. However, as he was quick to point out, he was actually very good at it. He'd created several masterpieces in the few months he'd started living with Antonio. The Spaniard's landlady didn't appreciate them though and would often lecture him about it. Antonio always felt terrible getting rid of them, but couldn't blow his safety deposit on it either.

Which led to his current predicament – scrub-resistant crayons.

Antonio had tried everything he could think of this morning – soap, magic eraser sponges, and even peanut butter (which was an attempt he never cared to try again). Nothing worked, so he found himself on the phone with Bella while getting breakfast ready for a sleepy Lovino.

"_Hola_, Bella~! I'm so glad you answered!" He sliced up some oranges for Lovino to munch on while he finished the eggs and toast. "The sound of your voice is lovely as always~!"

"_What do you want, 'Toni?_" she asked with a humorous tone.

"Well…" Antonio chuckled, setting the bowl of oranges in front of his nephew (who looked about ready to fall asleep in his bowl). "…What do you know about scrub-resistant crayons?"

Bella ran a daycare with her brother, so she was always giving him tips about his nephew, Lovino. She had practically grown up with Antonio, so the two were close friends even before the Spaniard enrolled Lovino at Happy Smiles Daycare (a name Bella insisted was 'All Abel's idea').

Antonio listened to her recommendation for which cleaning product to pick up the next time he went shopping, as he flipped the eggs. He turned to check on his sleepy nephew and saw him wobble a bit. The brunette covered the mouthpiece of his phone and addressed him.

"Try not to fall asleep in your oranges, _chiquito_," he smiled. "Breakfast is almost done."

He knew from experience how hard it was to wake Lovino once he's out. From the other line he heard a distinctly feminine 'Awww…'

"If you stay awake, I'll make churros for lunch after the park, Lovinito~!"

"R-Really, bastard?!"

"Language!" Antonio felt compelled to call him out on it with his daycare teacher on the phone.

Lovino pouted. He really wanted those churros. Antonio barely contained his squee long enough to get off the line with Bella and glomp Lovino.

"Get off me, jerk!"

"But you're so cute!" he cooed.

"I am not!" the tiny Italian snapped, cheeks turning red. Feli was the cute one; he wore girl's clothes, after all. "I hate you!"

"Don't say that, Lovi…you'll make me sad!" Antonio pretended to cry.

"Then _cry!_ I don't wanna go to the park anymore!"

"Then who's going to help me eat all of the tomatoes when I get there?" the Spaniard smiled knowingly.

"Okay, I'll go," Lovino responded quickly and began eating breakfast.

Antonio smiled. It wasn't every day he didn't have to go into work. He tried to spend as much time with his nephew as possible on his days off. Whatever it took to keep his young mind off the situation that led to Lovino coming to live with him… It was still difficult for Antonio to fully accept himself and he was an adult. He could only imagine how his little _sobrino_ was taking it.

* * *

**Yer A Wizard**

* * *

That bright, sunny morning also found Arthur and Alfred taking a trip to the park. The boy's favorite park was on the other side of town, which was just a quick ride away in the van…Of course some days it felt like ages to the Briton. Today, Alfred was informing Arthur that the family picture in rearview mirror was silly.

"I'm not even wearing my Captain America shirt or anything!" he complained.

"…You were still a baby when it was taken."

"I didn't have a Captain America shirt when I was a baby?!" Alfred gasped at the very thought.

"I didn't know I had a superhero on my hands until you started talking," sighed Arthur.

"That's too bad."

"Why's that?"

"I could have told you that your face looks all silly in that picture."

Arthur tried not to grind his teeth and silently counted to ten. He happened to think he looked very gentlemanly in that picture. It was one of his favorites. The blonde had donned his favorite jumper and proudly stood behind his late wife, Amelia, who looked brilliant in her pale blue summer dress. In her arms was an infant Alfred, carefully wrapped in a white blanket. He had such a peaceful, angelic smile on his face back then…if only Arthur knew what was to come.

"I'm glad you keep our picture up, Dad…" Alfred said in an uncharacteristically soft tone.

"Oh?"

"That way Mommy gets to go places with us too…" he smiled softly and returned to playing with his Avenger's action figures (which were totally boy toys and not dolls at all).

"I-Indeed…" Arthur felt something prick at the corners of his eyes. Must be allergies or something.

"I think she kinda looks like me. Do you think she kinda looks like me?"

"It's true; you have your mother's eyes…"

"D-Does that mean I'm Harry Potter?!" Alfred nearly jumped out of his carseat at the revelation.

"Er…"

"A-Are you taking me to Hogwarts?!"

"We're going to the park, remember? The park!"

"A _magic_ park?!" Alfred's eyes twinkled. "Will your imaginary friends be there?"

Arthur sighed at the irony of a child thinking an adult had imaginary friends. Flying Mint Bunny, Uni, and the others were quite real, thank you very much.

"You're a bit barmy, even for a child…"

"Dad, your British is showing!" giggled the boy.

The Briton recognized it as a phrase his American wife always said. As they pulled into the parking lot next to the park, he couldn't help but smile. Responding like any true father, he opened the sliding door, undid his son's seatbelt, and began tickling him mercilessly.

"Then I'll have to bake you into scones!"

"No fair! The Hero wasn't ready!" Alfred laughed and squealed from the sneak attack. "Cheeeeeeater!"

* * *

**Wanna play?**

* * *

Antonio and Lovino lived within walking distance of the park, so it was often a favorite place to visit (even if the little tsundere never would admit it). Lovino was so excited about the tomatoes and churros for lunch he forgot to yell at Antonio for holding his hand the entire way there. Of course when they arrived, Lovino was quick to attack his uncle for a tomato.

"Ah! Lovinito! Please stop climbing me!" the Spaniard tried to balance his tote bag in one arm and his squirming nephew in the other. "I'll get this set up and call you over in a minute. You go play for a bit, okay?"

Lovino pouted once more, but accepted the tomato Antonio handed over to pacify him. He huffed, but obeyed. Stupid Antonio would probably drop their lunch and ruin it otherwise. The Italian wandered over to the unoccupied sandbox, avoiding the swings that were already taken by some big kids. Like hell he wanted anyone taking his delicious tomato!

"Bastardos…" He plopped himself down and began eating the red fruit, watching a van pull into the parking lot with little interest.

The very instant Alfred was set down he became a human tornado, running laps around his father, who pulled his backpack out of the van with practiced ease. If there was one thing he could count on, it was for his son to have an endless amount of energy from the crack of dawn to bed time. It was almost as if he ran on batteries some days.

"Okay, Alfred, we're crossing the parking lot, so I need your hand, please."

"Roger that!" the tiny blonde saluted and held his father's hand.

Arthur had learned long ago that Alfred tended to listen better if he thought he was helping out or playing the hero. To this day, the Briton was convinced his son thought he was holding hands for his father's safety, not his own. Whatever kept him from running into traffic…

Alfred led/dragged Arthur over to their favorite spot underneath a large oak tree near the slides. It was shady, relaxing, and provided a good view of the park. It was also close enough for Arthur to quickly dash over to any of the play equipment for those times Alfred tried to 'fly like Superman' off the top of the jungle gym or swing set.

"You can go ahead and play while I sort things out here, Alfred," Arthur patted his boy on the head and set the backpack down, digging out their designated 'park quilt.'

"Okay!"

When left to his own devices, Alfred eyed up the playground. There weren't very many people here today. Two big boys on the swings and a boy around his age building something in the sand. Potential playmate in his sights, Alfred excitedly bounded over to the lone boy in the sandbox. As he got closer, the brunette eyed him cautiously, so Alfred offered him a hand to show his good intentions.

"Wanna play?"

* * *

**A/N**

* * *

Hope you liked the first chapter, there's loads more cuteness and moe moments where that came from! I know this chapter was quite short, but it was supposed to be more like a prologue. After the little cuties start playing together, chapters will get longer.

Now then, about when Arthur said "Then I'll have to bake you into scones!" …Cute fatherly saying or legit threat? Is Chibimerica so cute he could just gobble him up?

-Rajikka

**Translations**

**Chiquito** – Little boy (Sp.)

**Bastardo** – Bastard (It.)

**Tsundere** – A type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)

**Churros** – Cinnamon sugar-coated crack. Okay, not really, but I dare you to eat just one. Some people call them "Spanish Doughnuts" since they're basically a fried dough pastry.

**Sobrino** – Nephew (Sp.)


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own it, but probably for the better… _

_Warning: AU, strong language (in Chibimano's defense, Arthur has a mouth on him too), boy x boy pairings (but not for awhile), and adorableness overload. _

The little cuties are back and ready to spread adorableness and diabetes throughout the world! Thanks for all your comments last time! I wasn't sure how well a story like this would go over, so I'm glad you seemed to like it. Without further ado…more chibis!

* * *

**What's in a Name?**

* * *

"Wanna play?" Alfred held out a hand to Lovino, who was cautiously watching him from the sandbox.

"Who are you?" the Italian asked.

"I'm Alfred! I'm the Hero!"

"You're…what?" Lovino asked. Was there something wrong with this kid?

"I'm the Hero!" the blonde repeated, sitting down next to the brunette and admiring his sand sculpture. "But it's okay if you want to call me Alfred. What's your name?"

"Lovino."

"What are you building there, Lovino?" the bright-eyed boy tried to crane his head over the older boy's shoulder to get a better look.

"N-Nothing!" The tsundere started to move his arm over to demolish the castle he'd been working on.

"Wait!" Alfred hugged his arm to stop him. "Don't smash it! It looks awesome!"

"What?" Lovino felt his cheeks turn rosy. He wasn't used to someone praising his artwork. Mr. Abel was constantly waving it off, Miss Bella was too busy with the babies, and he had been too embarrassed to make anything for his uncle after Antonio constantly scrubbed all his crayon projects off the walls at home.

"I can never build stuff like this," the self-proclaimed Hero fiddled with his shoelaces. "My Dad says I'm not space-tient."

"Who wants to be space-tient? Grown-ups are dumb."

"That's what _I_ said!" Alfred laughed. It was about time somebody saw things his way!

The blonde watched the other boy reinforce the castle wall with a pile of sand and a skilled hand. Lovino felt a little uncomfortable with someone staring at him like that. Was this kid just acting nice? Maybe he was lying so he could kick down the sand castle later? None of his artwork lasted very long, after all. Not like his brother's. Antonio had more paintings from Feliciano hanging up on the fridge than his own. Feli had mailed them so many, that his uncle had to start keeping them in what he called a 'memory box.' Tears pricked at Lovino's eyes. He furiously scrubbed them off before this new kid could see and laugh at him.

"Hey, bastardo…" Lovino scowled at him when he was sure the tears were gone. It was probably better to scare him off before—

You're really good!" beamed Alfred, cutting him off completely. "Wait! This is _perfect!_"

Lovino watched the strange boy dig something out of the small stars and stripes bag he carried over. In a flash, Alfred pulled out his Avengers action figures and displayed them around the sand castle Lovino had built.

"I knew it! Wooooow!" Alfred bounced up and down, just barely controlling himself enough to keep from accidentally Hulk-smashing the sculpture. "You made the perfectest headquarters ever! Can we use it Lovi? Please, please, please?"

"Um, okay?" Lovino was too caught up in the moment to really process what was going on.

"Yaaaaay!" cheered Alfred, taking the Italian's hand and raised both above their heads as if they had just won a championship boxing match. "Superpals win again! The world is saved!"

"Y-Yeah!" the brunette decided to just go with it. Sure, the kid was strange, but at least he wasn't a jerk like the others.

In no time at all, Alfred was briefing their soldiers about the upcoming mission. It was of great importance – the bad guys had stolen the world's supply of chocolate chip cookies and refused to give them back. Those monsters refused to even _share_ with anyone else! It was a world-crisis if there ever was one. When the Hero was satisfied that everyone knew what was at stake, it was time to choose roles.

"Well, I'm Captain America. Who do you want to be?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen the movie…" Lovino admitted.

"Hmm….Lovi can be…oh!" Alfred pointed at his friend excitedly. "You can be Loki! 'Cause _Lovi_ sounds like _Loki!_"

"…Who?"

Alfred eagerly explained each character to his new friend while their respective guardians looked on.

* * *

**Cuuuuuute!**

* * *

Happy was an understatement. The moment Anto realized his chronically unsocial nephew was playing with another little boy his heart was filled with puppies and rainbows. Was the moody Lovi finally making friends? They were so cuuuuuute! He was so glad he decided to take Lovino to the park today. It took all his willpower not to leave his spot on the sunny bench to hug them both. He'd have to settle for taking a picture on his phone….Okay _several_ pictures on his phone…several _dozen_.

Meanwhile, across the park under the shade of an oak tree, Arthur watched his cheerful son play with another child he raced over to without a second thought. He definitely got his outgoingness from his mother. The blonde was a little surprised Alfred was sharing his Avenger's figurines though. Normally, Alfred only let Arthur and himself play with them. Whenever the boy was upset with him, he threatened never to let Arthur play with them again. Likewise, whenever Arthur was cross with Alfred or needed to convince him to eat his vegetables, he warned his son that he'd take the toy set away.

Arthur smiled. It was a nice change of pace to see Alfred being so trustworthy. He had always been a friendly kid, but ever since his mother passed away he seemed a bit more guarded. The little brown-haired boy must be a good influence on him.

* * *

**Swings 101**

* * *

Now, playing with superhero action figures in the sandbox was fun, but the boys had to expand their patrol. To make the superheroes fly, the duo ran over to the swings as fast as their tiny legs could carry them. Lovino plopped in a swing, carefully rested the plastic figurine in his lap (Alfred explained to him that for their game, Loki could be a good guy like Lovi), and took off with ease. He pumped his legs to soar higher and higher. Alfred simply stared in awe from the swing next to him. He could only think about how cool Lovino was to be able to swing so high without a grown-up!

"Hurry and catch up, already!" Lovino instructed.

"H…How?"

The Italian hit the breaks to make sure he heard him right. Couldn't everyone swing? It was practically a playground rite of passage. How could Alfred not know how?

"U-Um, my Dad always pushes me…"

"That's no good," Lovino sighed, hopping off his swing and standing behind his friend. "Here, I'll show you how."

Lovino carefully gave Alfred a push to get him started. The brunette leapt back onto his own swing and demonstrated how to propel himself with his legs. Alfred watched carefully. Getting the rhythm right was a little tricky at first.

"Like this?" Alfred swung his legs forward as far as they would go, keeping them outstretched.

"No, you have to move your feet back or you go slow," the Italian explained. "Look! You have to kick the sky and hide your feet!"

"So the sky doesn't get mad!"

"Yeah!" Lovino nodded. "The sky'll get mad if it finds them! It'll bite you!"

"I won't let it bite my feet off!"

"Good! Me neither!"

Motivated by his friend, Alfred puffed out his cheeks and kicked the sky as hard as he could without falling off, or worse, dropping his Captain America action figure. If Iron Man could fly, than so could he! It took some more practice, but Alfred stuck to his swing training until he finally got the hang of it.

"Lovino! Lovino! Look, I'm doing it!" he exclaimed, chest swelling with pride. "I'm swinging all by myself!"

"See? I told you it was easy!"

Both continued to laugh and swing as high as they could go. As they built up more speed, they stretched their feet into the endless blue sky. It was a wonder the action figures didn't blast off into outer space. The only thing that came loose and took an unexpected skydiving trip was one of Alfred's shoes. It didn't land very far away, so Lovino kicked one of his shoes off too. This only made the boys laugh harder and wiggle their toes in the air.

"Yeaaaaaaah! Superpals away!"

Arthur and Antonio were crying manly tears of pride and joy. Arthur had been ready to rush over to help Alfred, but saw he wasn't needed. His son, the boy who insisted on being pushed on every swing set he passed, managed to learn how to swing without him. Arthur dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief.

…_They grow up so fast!_

Back on the bench, Antonio discreetly wiped his eyes and smiled wider. He'd never seen his nephew be so patient with someone before. Lovinito was such a good boy, helping others like that! He snapped a picture, so he could brag about it to Bella and that creature she called her brother on Monday.

* * *

**Heroes to the Rescue!**

* * *

From the swings, the boys could see everyone on the playground. How lucky all these people were that the resident superheroes were present to keep them all safe from whatever dangers lurked in the park. Everything seemed fine, when suddenly an invisible villain caused a windstorm to pick up. The tornado nearly knocked over a short teenager and sent her blue ribbon flying.

"Emergency! Emergency! Avengers assemble!" Alfred shouted, dragging his feet over the pea gravel to stop his swing. He pointed at the girl struggling to catch up to her prized ribbon. "We have to help her!"

"O-Okay!" Lovino nodded, still a little unsure of this whole fighting crime thing, but more than willing to help out a nice lady.

The two held hands (Alfred insisted it would make them go faster) and dashed after the tumbling hair accessory. No invisible wind villain was a match for the heroes! They closed in on the ribbon racing across the field and pounced on it like kittens. Together, they held up the ribbon in victory and rushed over to the damsel in distress.

"Fear not, citizen of Earth! We beat up the bad guy!" Alfred cheered triumphantly.

"Here's your ribbon," Lovino handed it over.

"Thank you so much, boys!" she smiled in relief, securing it tightly to her short blond hair. "I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost it…"

"Y-Yeah…" Alfred suddenly became shy. With her soft eyes and short blonde hair, she kind of reminded him of his mother. "Um…"

"Don't worry," Lovino replied smoothly. He might not have been a real superhero, but being a unique mix of Italian and Spanish made him supernaturally gifted with the ladies. "If it blows away again, we'll get it for you."

"Thank you!" The older girl hugged them both, awarding each with a kiss on the cheek. "My heroes!"

Arthur watched the scene unfold from his nearby spot under the shady tree. He could see from there that the young lady had green eyes like Alfred's new friend. His mother, perhaps? Judging by the smiles, they seemed close enough. Being the gentleman that he was, Arthur waved to her politely. The girl hesitantly waved back, a puzzled expression on her face.

Antonio also saw his nephew and the blonde playing knights in shining armor. He had even laughed when they pounced on the ribbon. The Spaniard felt a surge of pride when Lovino was able to talk to the lovely young woman with no problem. He grinned when the little charmer even made her laugh.

"Ah, Lovi already has a way with the ladies," Antonio chuckled to himself. "Clearly he gets his charm from his uncle~!"

Antonio was sitting a fair distance away from the trio, but figured the blonde woman was the other boy's mother. They had the same hair color and complexion, after all. The boy had probably told Lovino about her, which made them so determined to rescue the ribbon. Antonio offered a friendly smile and wave to the pretty girl, which was returned just as confusingly as the first time.

* * *

**Hail Pie-dra**

* * *

Our heroes had managed to track down a secret HYDRA laboratory that was conducting cruel and inhumane experiments on teddy bears. There were also rumors going around about this site being the place broccoli and brussel sprouts were harvested for disgusting dinners nationwide. And if that wasn't bad enough, the mini-caped crusaders heard it on good word that the bad guys here called Director Fury a 'meanie fart head.'

It was up to the Avengers to stop them! Two top agents were deployed to destroy the lab and save the teddy bears. In a flash, the superheroes kicked in the jungle gym doors. A large battle broke out, but no invisible thug could take on the Avengers' finest! Alfred and Lovino karate chopped and kicked the air with great precision, winning the first of many fights. All of the HYDRA agents could tell when they'd been beat. Their only hope was to do what bad guys do best – run away.

A great chase ensued, mostly consisting of Alfred screaming heroic phrases at the top of his lungs and dragging Lovino around with him. The villain's getaway car malfunctioned during their escape, causing them to spin endlessly in circles. Our heroes were following as such close range, they had no choice but to get caught up in it. Everything would be for naught if they let the bad guys get away now! So many button-less teddy bears and the tears of hundreds of boys and girls who didn't want to eat their vegetables wasted! The legendary heroes couldn't let their sacrifice be in vain.

"H-Hang on, stupid!" the brunette called out, managing to pull his small body onto the spinning contraption. "Alfred, give me your hand!"

"I…I can't…"

"Why not?!" Lovino stubbornly reached further, trying to grab his friend's arm all on his own. At this rate, Alfred was going to slip and get hurt.

"You didn't...call my name…" the blonde spoke as if the end was near.

"I said Alfred!"

"That's not…my real name…"

"Fine!" he huffed. "_Captain America_, grab my hand or you're gonna fall off and get squished!"

"You got it, partner!" the blonde chirped, happily taking his ally's hand. He was really glad that Lovino was able to help him into the escape pod. The Hero thought he was a goner for sure. "Thanks for saving me! You're really nice for a frost giant!"

"…I don't know what that means," the tsundere complained. He wasn't sure if 'frost giant' was a good thing or a bad thing and his head was starting to feel woozy from the breakneck speeds they were travelling at. "Let's get off this thing!"

"We can't, Loki!" Alfred clung to his shirt. "We'll die!"

Lovino bit his lip. He didn't want to die today; his stupid uncle promised him churros! Well, that and he _might_ have been having a little bit of fun with his new friend. But just a little. The Italian decided to wait out Pie-dra or whatever's latest weapon of mass destruction. It had to stop moving _eventually_, right?

When the merry-go-round finally slowed down enough for the Champions of Justice to get off, Antonio and Arthur could barely hold back their laughter. The boys were still disoriented and tottered around in a dizzy state. At one point, they clonked heads and fell backwards, rubbing their foreheads.

"Are you okay?!" Alfred was up on his feet first, very concerned about his friend.

"Che…m'fine, idiota…" Lovino grumbled sitting up.

"D-Does it hurt?"

"Didn't even feel it!" huffed the Italian, standing up and putting on a proud bravado. No way could he look like a wimp in front of his new friend.

"Woah! You're so cool, Lovi~!" Alfred hugged him, nearly sending them both toppling over again.

"O-Of course I am!" replied the tsundere with much more confidence than he actually had. He prayed the world would stop spinning soon. That would be nice. Alfred was a lot stronger than he looked; especially when he was squeezing the life out of him.

* * *

**Come and Get It**

* * *

It had been a fun morning, up until the distant clocktower began chiming for the lunch hour. Even though it broke their hearts a little to split the boys up, their respective guardians called them over. Several other parents and older siblings followed suit.

Fueled by hunger (and recalling the special treats they would get for being good), the boys took off running. It was great that the boys were listening and all, but neither man could figure out why the other boy didn't run over to the blonde girl. Even more confusing was when she called out to another boy playing on the slides. The unfamiliar boy dusted off his black hat, linked hands with the young lady, and walked off in the opposite direction.

"But if the little boy didn't go with her…" Arthur began, glancing back at Alfred's new friend.

"…Then his _madre_ must be…"

In that moment, the two men laid eyes on each other and began to spaz out.

* * *

**Bonus Side Story**

* * *

Lily returned home with her younger cousin. She had agreed to babysit him for the day while his family was out of town. He was a bit of an odd duck, but managed to have a good time. It was too bad he didn't play with the two children who helped her.

"How was the park?" Vash asked from the kitchen table.

"It was fine," she replied a little hesitantly. "Ludwig had a lovely time."

"Is something wrong?" he looked up at his little sister, noting her tone.

"I met some very friendly gentlemen in the park," Lily recalled the strange experience. "But they were probably the fathers of the boys who retrieved my ribbon for me, so it's okay."

"Did you go to the neighborhood park or a different one?"

"The neighborhood park. Why?"

Vash stood up and made his way over to the locked gun cabinet.

"No reason…"

* * *

**A/N**

* * *

Somehow I don't think Antonio and Arthur meeting at the park is going to go over nearly as well as Lovino and Alfred's meeting…

Sorry for all the superhero names and titles. Since this chapter was centered around their first meeting, it made sense for the superhero-obsessed Alfred to talk about them a lot. As the story moves on, there will be other games and adventures. They just don't know each other well enough yet to not fall back on their favorite toys yet. If there was something you didn't quite get, let me know and I'll fill you in :)

And for all his athletic ability, it's not unheard of for a kid like Alfred to not be able to swing by himself yet, given his age (Arthur kind of spoiled him by always pushing him too). It involves more coordination than you might think, especially for kids. Since Lovino's a year older and had lots of practice swinging at daycare, he was already a pro.

-Rajikka

**Translations**

**Idiota** – Idiot (It.)

**Tsundere** – A type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)

**Churros** – Cinnamon sugar-coated crack. Okay, not really, but I dare you to eat just one. Some people call them "Spanish Doughnuts" since they're basically a fried dough pastry.

**Madre** – Mother (Sp.)


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own it, but probably for the better… _

_Warning: AU, strong language (in Chibimano's defense, Arthur has a mouth on him too), boy x boy pairings (but not for awhile), and adorableness overload. _

I'm not sure what will happen first – Arthur and Antonio killing each other with their bare hands or Lovi and Alfie killing us with cuteness…

* * *

We Meet Again

* * *

Imagine if you will a beautiful, picturesque park on a warm sunny day. Green grass so soft it tickles the toes of the giggling children scurrying across it barefoot. Sky so blue, it looked like an artist painted it. Puffy white clouds so fluffy, they resembled floating marshmallows lazily drifting across the heavens. Children were laughing, couples were walking hand in hand, and grandparents were growing nostalgic with talks of days long since past. It was a beautiful scene to behold...

And now imagine that with two adult men screaming at each other in the middle of the playground.

"What the bloody hell are _you_ doing here, wanker?!" Arthur shouted, pointing an accusing hand at Antonio. "I thought the park prohibited dogs from entering!"

"Then you better leave before I tell them you're here!" Antonio shot back, unwilling to back down.

"Why you uncouth, inbred tosser!" the Briton grabbed the brunette's collar in one angry fistful. "You haven't changed one bit in 15 bloody years!"

"You either, _cabron!_" The Spaniard's lips curved into a cruel smile. "Where's all the manners you claim to have?"

"Wasted on you, arsehole," Arthur's eyes narrowed into pools of acid. "Why don't you do us all a favor and piss off before I reintroduce my fist to your face?"

"Before I go, I should do the _world_ a favor and kill the furry demons clamped to _your_ face," Antonio started to tug at his enemy's large eyebrows. "Tell me, did you get these from your mother or is wearing caterpillars some kind of fashion statement in England?"

"Don't you bring my mother into this!" the blonde hissed. "How about I wipe that conniving smirk right off your ugly mug?"

"You go on and try, you limp dick son of a bitch…"

"It would be an improvement, I guarantee you!" Arthur brought his hand back, slowly curling it into a fist. "It's not my fault you're a complete gormless jackass!"

"Daddy, what does "jackass" mean?" Alfred tugged on his father's shirt innocently.

"Oi, tomato jerk," Lovino poked Antonio's free hand. "I'm hungry…"

The argument came to a screeching halt the second both men realized the boys were still standing there. The young, hungry, _impressionable_ boys… Both adults suddenly froze, feeling very awkward.

"I-It's a grown-up word, Alfred!" a flustered Arthur replied. "So don't you ever repeat it, alright?"

"But what _is_ it?" the little blonde was persistent.

"It means—" Lovino felt his uncle's hand fly over his mouth.

"I think it's time to get some lunch, _chiquito!_" Antonio ignored the child's protests. "Let's go home and have those churros!"

In a flash, both adults dragged their kids in the opposite directions. All they could think about was getting as far away from the other as possible. Lovino ended up biting Antonio because he wanted to share one of his churros with Alfred. His stupid uncle had to go and ruin everything! What if he never saw him again? The blonde in question ended up bawling the entire car ride home because his mean dad didn't let him hug his new friend goodbye. Lovino was so much fun and now he was gone! Why didn't his dad let him hug his friend? Lovi was probably sad now! It wasn't fair!

* * *

My Sunshine

* * *

Lovino had been angry at his uncle for the rest of the night, refusing to talk or play with him. He even ate his churros in silence. Antonio had given him some space after dinner, feeling another wave of guilt when he checked on him after cleaning the dishes. Lovino had already fallen asleep, curled up on his bed. He was facing the wall, as if he fell asleep trying to distance himself from the older brunette. Antonio felt another pang of guilt when he adjusted the boy's blankets and saw the frown etched into Lovi's typically peaceful sleeping face.

_I'm sorry, mi angél…_ The Spaniard thought glumly. _But that man is like poison. I didn't want him to ruin the rest of our day…_

The next morning, Lovino stubbornly refused to speak or even look at his caretaker. Despite Antonio's best attempts to get his nephew to smile, the little tsundere barely acknowledged his existence. The guilt had begun eating away at Antonio. He realized that pulling Lovino away from his new friend so suddenly might not have been the best move, but he had no way of fixing his mistake now. All he could do was wait out the Italian's silent treatment and keep smiling for him…Even if it did hurt a little when Lovino didn't return the goodbye hug when he dropped him off at daycare.

Later that afternoon, Antonio made his way through a familiar white door leading to a bright, colorful building. Work had felt longer than usual and he was eager to see his adorable little nephew. Hopefully, Lovino's irritable mood had passed by now. A bell chimed above Antonio, signaling his arrival.

"Welcome to Happy Smiles…" Abel greeted him with a deep-set frown.

"Er, hi, Abel…" Antonio winced. "I'm here to pick up Lovi."

"Oh, good. I never would have guessed," the blonde grunted sarcastically.

"Is he in the Moonbeam room or the Rainbow room?"

"The Sunshine room."

"Eh? Isn't that the baby room?" the Spaniard asked. "Why would Lovino be there?"

"He was being an unholy terror again today," Abel sighed. "I had to put him with Bella to get him to calm the hell down."

"Oh…uh, sorry about that," Antonio apologized, scratching his head. He knew how difficult his nephew could be sometimes. "He really likes Bells, huh?"

"Don't call my sister 'Bells.'"

The brunette took that as his cue to leave. He wandered down the blue and yellow pastel hallway decorated with children's handprints. At the end of the handprint path was a wooden sun decoration hanging from the door. 'Sunshine Room' was printed on it neatly. Antonio knew from working with Bella at the café in high school that it was her handwriting. Knocking softly, the brunette let himself in quietly in case babies were sleeping.

He had been so quiet that Lovino didn't even notice his arrival. The boy was sitting beside Bella, holding a baby in his arms. Bella had her arms around Lovino's just in case, but the five year old had things under control. He was smiling softly at the baby boy, no sign of the previous tantrum he pulled on Abel present. The late afternoon sun shone brightly behind them, illuminating the trio. It was as if they were angels! Antonio internally squealed at the peaceful expression on Lovinito's face. He was such a sweet boy when given the chance! So cuuuuuute…

As if reading his guardian's thoughts, Lovino looked up and immediately frowned.

"It's about time, jerk."

Bella carefully took the baby from him, while Lovino followed her suggestion to gather his things. He shoved a few papers into his red backpack (burying the 'your-kid-was-a-brat-today' note Abel had written for Antonio) and zipped it up, so the green tassels were at the top. Every time he looked at his tomato-like backpack, his tummy rumbled for real tomatoes. The Italian boy turned to ask his uncle what was for dinner, but Antonio was talking to Bella.

"Sorry for Lovi being so difficult today," he apologized to his friend and cooed at the Italian baby Lovino had been holding.

"It's no trouble. It's only natural, given his situation," the pretty blonde waved away his concern. "Lovino's actually been a great helper for me today."

"That's good to hear~!"

"He's become quite attached to Marcello here…" Bella smiled a little sadly. "I think he reminds Lovino of his little brother."

Antonio looked at the baby in his friend's arms. The baby babbled a little, gazing at the Spaniard with big brown, chocolaty eyes. His hair was a little lighter than Feliciano's, but he did bear a strong resemblance to Antonio's youngest nephew. He had a feeling Bella was right…A tug on his shirt pulled him out of his thoughts.

"I'm hungry, 'Tonio!"

"What are you hungry for, _mi cielo?_" Antonio plucked the boy off the ground and nuzzled him affectionately.

"T-Tomatoes…" Lovino managed to get out. It was hard with his dumb uncle squishing his face like that. "And pizza!"

"You really are too adorable~" Bella pressed a quick kiss on Lovino's chubby little cheek. The tiny Italian responded by blushing bright red and burying his face in the Spaniard's shirt. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Bye, Bells!" Antonio waved Lovino's hand for him. A muffled 'ciao' could be heard from his shirt, causing both adults to chuckle.

Antonio shifted the bundle of cuteness in his arms and opened the door to exit the building. From the front desk, Abel watched with little interest. The blonde might feel a little bad if the brat got hurt, but his uncle could go break his nose for all he cared. Antonio made it down the stairs swiftly and safely – he didn't spend six years as a waiter for nothing!

The Spaniard continued carrying his _sobrino_ across the parking lot and over to the car. Lovino still had his head burrowed into Antonio's shirt, but seemed to be in a better mood than this morning. Antonio opened the door to the back seat and gasped dramatically.

"Lovinito! Look at your booster seat!" he exclaimed. "Do you see it?"

"See what, noisy bastard?" the boy turned his head and his bright green eyes widened. "Whoa!"

Perched on the middle of his booster seat was a plastic dish of cherry tomatoes (Antonio didn't trust him to eat regular tomatoes in the car and not make a huge mess). Not wasting another second, Lovino scrambled into the chair and began munching on the tiny fruits. His uncle laughed as he secured the seatbelt strap across the tomato-eating machine.

Antonio knew that no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't change the past. It was impossible to bring Lovino's parents back, but it wasn't impossible to make him smile again. Every time Lovino smiled, Antonio could see traces of his sister smiling through her son. He'd do anything to keep them both smiling.

"This must be the work of the Tomato Fairy!" Antonio told him in a hushed, secretive tone.

"Y-You're right!" Lovino agreed, grinning a little. "Grazie, Tomato Fairy!"

Antonio never told him that he was the one who secretly left tiny tomato surprises around whenever he wanted to raise his nephew's spirits. It was so cute to see how excited he got by such a simple gesture.

Lovino never told him that he knew the Tomato Fairy was about as real as his brother preferring pants over dresses. He'd caught his dumb uncle leaving a tomato the third time he tried to convince him the Tomato Fairy had visited their house at night. Lovino wouldn't admit it, but it was kind of nice that Antonio always surprised him with tomatoes… It was a good system for both of them, why get cut off now?

* * *

Stick Figure Art

* * *

Arthur walked into his son's room to fetch him for dinner. He had been making a casserole dish while his son played in his room. Half-expecting to see mountains of toys strewn about Alfred's room as if a tornado ripped through, Arthur stood in the doorway baffled. He even took off his reading glasses to make sure they weren't affecting his vision somehow.

Alfred's floor, child-sized desk, and bed were completely covered with papers decorated with a rainbow of colors. The little blonde boy sat in the middle of the floor, hunched over another crayon art creation. Arthur shook his head. He could have sworn he'd only left his son in here for a half hour.

The Hero-in-training still hadn't noticed his father's presence, so the novelist inspected a few of the drawings. Alfred was far from an artist, but each picture had a surprising amount of detail given his short attention span. In almost every picture was a blob of yellow and a blob of brown. Arthur had no idea what to make of that, so he asked his son.

"Alfred, what are these supposed to be?"

"HOLY HAMBURGERS, BATMAN!" the boy jumped several inches into the air like a startled cat. "You scared me, Daddy!"

Arthur sheepishly apologized and repeated his question.

"That's me and Lovi going on an adventure!"

"Lovi and I," his father corrected his speech automatically.

"You're not in that picture, silly! Ooh! Ooh! Lookit _this_ one!" Alfred held up his latest drawing. "It's me and Lovi flying a rocket to the moon! Zooooom!"

"Uh-huh," Arthur leaned against the doorframe as his son continued wandering around, describing each and every last picture.

"Me and Lovi are fighting crime! Hi-yah!" he karate chopped the air. "And then we got cookies! Num, num, num!"

"That's only logical…"

"Here's the scaaaaaary pirates, but we locked them up and took their treasure!"

"Doesn't that make you a pirate?"

"No way!" Alfred laughed.

"But you stole the treasure too."

"Yeah, 'cuz we're the _good guys!_"

Arthur quickly gave up trying to explain the rules of pirating to his son. It was a lost cause. Alfred had a more pressing matter at hand.

"I don't know which one to give him…" he pouted. The plan had been to give his best picture to Lovino, but now he couldn't settle on on which one that was. Suddenly, the Hero had a bright idea and fetched the buried roll of tape off his little desk. "Yay, I found it~!"

Alfred messily gathered all his papers into a giant pile and began taping them together. When Arthur asked him what in the world he was doing, the tiny blonde explained it was a present for Lovino. He puffed his chest out with pride.

"I'm making a book just like you make books, Daddy!"

Before the boy could make the tape mess worse, Arthur helped him straighten the papers and staple them together. Then, very slowly in Robin's Egg Blue, Alfred wrote his name to the best of his ability. He pouted when he realized he didn't know how to spell Lovino's name, so he drew a big heart instead. It was basically the same thing in his mind.

Alfred proceeded to sprint around the house like a race horse. He was very excited to give his book to Lovi the next time he saw him. Arthur pressed his lips together into a firm line. The Briton wasn't so sure he approved of Alfred constantly talking about _that man's_ child, but he didn't want to spoil the boy's mood, so he kept his thoughts to himself. Knowing his son, Alfred would forget about him in a few days…

…Or not.

* * *

Negotiations

* * *

In the Kirkland house, every moment of every day was spent discussing what Lovino was doing. When Alfred was brushing his teeth, he asked if Lovi was brushing his. When Alfred was eating lunch, he wondered what Lovi was eating. When Alfred built a block tower, he dedicated it to Lovi, master craftsman. Arthur actually took offense when they played Avengers together and Alfred informed him he "was doing it wrong" and "didn't play like Lovi." Finally, when Alfred was getting tucked into bed, he was very concerned that Lovi needed a kiss and bedtime story from his dad too.

It was enough to drive Arthur mad.

Perhaps that's why Alfred was able to convince him to go back to the park again so easily? As much as Arthur insisted that it was only because they needed some fresh air, a small part of him knew it was really an escape. If he had to listen to one more thing about the little Carriedo spawn, he would rip out his own eyebrows.

On the other side of town, a similar struggle was taking place inside Antonio's apartment.

"I have the rest of the afternoon off, Lovinito!" his uncle exclaimed, having changed out of his work uniform. "Is there anything you want to do today?"

"No…" the boy responded in a distant tone.

"Aw, c'mon! I'm sure there's something you want to play or go do!"

"Well, I wanted to…never mind…it's stupid…" Lovino returned to gazing out the window. "You'll just get mad at me again…"

"Eh? I'd never get mad at you, Lovi~!" he hugged his silly nephew. It was impossible to stay mad at him. He was simply too cute.

"Promise, bastard?" he turned his watery green eyes at Antonio, using a perfect imitation of the Puppy Eyes his brother and Alfred were so good at.

"Si, I promise!"

"I…I wanted to go to the park…"

"...Then we better grab your hat! It's sunny outside today!" Antonio reached for the boy's hat and placed it on his head, drooping it over the brunette's eyes. He didn't want Lovino to associate the park with his last argument with the Eyebrows Demon. It never even crossed his mind that he had been played. "You finish getting ready and I'll pack some juice, okay?"

"Okay!"

For a five year old, Lovino could be surprisingly _shrewd_.

* * *

Avengers, Reassemble!

* * *

Both pairs arrived around three o'clock. The boys saw each other and waved, as if they had planned it all along via toddler telepathy. They rushed over, meeting near the sandbox again, big smiles on their faces. Both were happy to see each other after five days of boredom, Alfred being a bit more vocal and huggy about it.

"I'm so happy you're here, Lovi~!" he cheered, nearly tackling the older boy with another hug.

"Y-Yeah," the brunette tried to catch his balance and keep them both from faceplanting into the sand.

Alfred gleefully took out his action figures for them to play with. Taking his friend's hand and guiding him to the sandbox. Lovino accepted the gesture and helped the blonde pull all of the toys out of the star-spangled bag with his free hand.

"Do you always have those with you?" Lovino asked.

"Nope!" he grinned, squeezing the Italian's hand. "I only let special people play with them, hehe! But you're my bestest friend, so it's okay~!"

Lovino felt his face warm up. He'd never had a best friend before. Before this, that was just something the big kids talked about at daycare. Lovino had thought the whole idea was stupid until Alfred said they were best friends. Now, he felt like he could get used to the idea…

Being the mature adults they were, Arthur and Antonio settled for glaring at each other from opposite ends of the park. Arthur sat scowling from the shade of a tree and Antonio frowned from a sunny bench. They almost looked like they were having a telepathic war with each other.

_Oh look at the arrogant prat sitting over there. I hope he gets burned to a crisp by the sun._

_I see Arthur's hiding in the shadows, where he belongs…Diablo…_

_Why's he keep looking over here? The sun must have finally fried what was left of his brain._

_Stop glaring at me, you English teabag! I can't believe he showed up here again!_

_There should be laws against letting daft bastards out in public…_

Back in the sandbox, the boys were contently playing together, completely oblivious to their caretakers battle of the minds. Alfred had begun chatting as they reinforced their headquarters with wet sand (another trick learned from Lovino). He drifted from topic to topic, until he mentioned family. Alfred informed his friend that he's an only child, but always wanted a brother.

"Hey, Lovi, do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"…I have a brother, but I…I don't see him a lot…he lives far away."

Alfred noticed how sad Lovino looked and sprung into action, instinctively hugging away his sorrows.

"Don't worry, I'm the Hero, so I'll make it better!"

"Th-Thanks…" Lovino scrubbed at his eyes and returned the hug this time.

"I know!" Alfred shouted, having the idea of the century. "We can be best friends _and_ brothers so we don't gotta be sad anymore!"

The brunette was confused, trying to figure out how that would even be possible.

"I'll prove it!" the blue-eyed boy beamed, picking up a hammer-wielding action figure. "I'll be Thor since you're Loki!"

"How does that prove it?"

"'Cause Thor and Loki are brothers~!"

"Idiota…" Lovino replied, but couldn't fight the smile lighting up his face.

* * *

**A/N**

* * *

I think the hardest thing about this fic is holding back on the Spanish endearments and cute nicknames Antonio calls his adorable little nephew. I seriously look this all over again after editing everything else, just to make sure I didn't add too many.

Also, I know I mentioned 'toddler telepathy' in this chapter, and yes, it was an intentional error. I'm well aware that Lovi and Alfie would technically be considered 'preschoolers' not 'toddlers' given their ages. In this case, 'toddler' sounded better than 'preschooler' and still met the definition of 'not a baby, yet still a little kid' so I went with that. Sorry if that confused anybody.

-Rajikka

**Translations**

**Cabron** – Jackass (Sp.)

**Tsundere** – A type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)

**Churros** – Cinnamon sugar-coated crack. Okay, not really, but I dare you to eat just one. Some people call them "Spanish Doughnuts" since they're basically a fried dough pastry.

**Chiquito** – Little boy (Sp.)

**Mi cielo** – "My sky" or "My heaven" (Sp.)

**Sobrino** – Nephew (Sp.)

**Mi a****ngél** - My angel (Sp.)

**Grazie** – Thanks (It.)

**Diablo** – Devil (Sp.)

**Idiota** – Idiot (It.)


End file.
